Overview

The world of computing is always changing: corporate mainframe computers were replaced by desktops; desktops became laptops; phones became mobile and then became smart; mobile data streaming allowed smartphone, handheld and tablet device users to be connected anywhere in the world. These advances were ‘game changers’ – new technology that made older systems obsolete almost overnight. They were revolutions not evolutions, and those businesses that couldn’t adapt quickly enough were replaced by those that could.

A revolutionary change is happening now - the move to cloud computing (or Software as a Service (SaaS)). Cloud computing is essentially just renting processing power and storage space on a virtual server that is managed in a remote datacenter and which you access over the internet. The technology is now mature – it is reliable, low cost, and simple to use. Vendors such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google are competing with each other to make their cloud services more reliable, cheaper, and easier to use than their competitors. Autodesk is experimenting extensively with cloud services. See labs.autodesk.com for some of our technology previews, or visit www.autodesk.com to discover some of our mature solutions, such as Autodesk Homestyler® or Green Building Studio®, that are available now.

So why might your applications benefit from the cloud? The answer is simple - for the same reasons Autodesk applications do. Consider these simple example scenarios:

Your application performs a processor intensive task, such as photo-realistic rendering, FEA analysis, or feature recognition. Instead of tying up your customer's computer for hours, why not send the raw data to a virtual machine on the cloud and then send the results back when they are finished. While your cloud service is grinding away at the data, your customer can carry on with their work.

Your application, or the reference data it uses, frequently changes. Instead of shipping frequent updates for your customer to install, you can just update one application on your cloud server and your updated algorithm or data is immediately available to all your customers.

Your customers are accessing a common dataset from geographically distributed locations. That data needs to be stored somewhere, so do you buy a set of servers, rent a room to house them in, and pay a server admin to maintain them; or do you just rent space in the cloud and let your cloud provider take care of all the maintenance and administration for you?

Demand for your services varies significantly through the day. Perhaps you have thousands of customers accessing your services during peak hours, but only one or two during the night. Should you scale your server farm to cope with the peak demand and accept that most of the time your processors will be idle, should you plan for the average demand and accept that customers will be frustrated during peak demand; or should you use a cloud provider that can automatically bring additional servers online for you at the peak and remove them when they’re no longer needed – and you only pay for the additional servers when you’re using them?

Startup costs for cloud computing are so low that you can easily afford to experiment with the technology. And the learning curve is shallow, so it's an easy step from writing desktop applications to cloud applications.

Getting Started

To help you get started, the Autodesk® Developer Network team has put together the following informational DevTV videos:

Up in the Cloud — An overview of the benefits of cloud computing by Jim Quanci, Director for the Autodesk Developer Network.

Getting Started with Cloud Computing — An introduction to the basics of creating a cloud computing application with demonstrations of integrating a cloud service with an AutoCAD® plug-in application by Stephen Preston, Autodesk Developer Network.

General Licensing: Do I need IPv6 Network License Manager for Windows?

If you wonder if you need Autodesk Network License Manager update for IPv6 or if you can stay with IPv4 then read the post at Up and Ready

Top Autodesk Sign in Questions & Answers

What is an Autodesk ID? How do I create an Autodesk ID? I can’t remember my Autodesk ID I forgot my Autodesk ID and I don’t remember what e-mail address I used when I created my account I forgot my password I followed the steps to reset my password but haven’t received an e-mail How do I change my password or e-mail address? What are the minimum character requirements for my Autodesk ID account? How can I get additional help if I can’t resolve my sign-in issues? What is an Autodesk ID?

Sets the level Underlay to NONE, instead of below level, when creating a new level.

Maintains graphical display of Rebar when upgrading a project to Revit Structure 2012. Rebar which was displayed using Medium level of detail in Revit Structure 2011 will updates to use Coarse level of detail with the project is upgraded.

Improves stability when adjusting rebar settings which cause the number of rebars in a set to exceed 1000.

Restores display cutting of Slanted Columns in plan view when Course level of detail is used.

Removes ½” cutback on wood framing members when using medium or fine level of detail.

Maintains the alignment method parameter on manually adjusted walls when a Revit Structure 2011 project is upgraded to a Revit Structure 2012 project.

Hides analytical nodes that are connected to hidden elements when in Analytical Model edit mode.

Improves analytical node display when isolating by either Element or Category.

Improves use of analytical model Rigid Link when overlapping beam and column are moved away from each other.

Adds Analytical Reset to the right-click menu for an analytical model.

Improves stability when setting Alignment Method on an analytical model element, such as a structural wall.

Maintains the visibility of analytical models in linked files when upgrading a Revit Structure 2011 project to Revit Structure 2012.

JTB FlexReport LT is now available on Autodesk Exchange Apps that you can access from within AutoCAD 2012. JTB FlexReport LT is a freeware product from JTB World to create HTML reports on current usage of FlexNet/FLEXlm licenses.

Today Autodesk is introducing Autodesk Cloud, a collection of more than a dozen web-based capabilities, products and services that enable customers to extend their desktops with greater mobility, new viewing and sharing capabilities, and more computing power, helping them better design, visualize and simulate their ideas. In addition, Autodesk Subscription customers will now have exclusive access to cloud-based, high-performance rendering and design optimization, and enhanced collaboration capabilities. Autodesk Subscription now provides 3 GB of online storage for each seat of software on Subscription for greater access to design and engineering documents, anywhere, anytime.

Autodesk Cloud documents offers 1GB of storage for free for anyone without Autodesk Subscription and 3GB for subscribers.

If a company has 10 seats they have all access to up to 30GB as a company.

Question is how many companies that will block Autodesk Cloud due to security or privacy requirements/policies.

After a document like a DWG is added it’s possible to act on it like editing, sharing, adding comments and much more.

“For more than a decade, Autodesk has embraced the power of the cloud to extend the functionality of our design solutions and help our customers work more effectively,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president, Platform Solutions and Emerging Business at Autodesk. “With Autodesk Cloud, we are demonstrating an even greater commitment to helping our customers solve the world’s toughest design and engineering challenges.”

Autodesk has been a pioneer in cloud-based applications for the design industry — starting more than a decade ago with Autodesk Buzzsaw — and more than a dozen cloud-based offerings currently available to customers are now encompassed as part of Autodesk Cloud. Autodesk Cloud provides a powerful foundation to enable all Autodesk customers to begin using the cloud to access and store their work from anywhere; to view their work through web browsers or mobile devices; and to share their work with other users, even users without Autodesk software. Cloud applications such Autodesk Cloud documents, AutoCAD WS and the Autodesk Design Review mobile app provide users with the freedom to work where they can be most effective, and to view, edit and share designs anywhere and with almost anyone. AutoCAD WS and the Autodesk Design Review mobile app are available today on the iOS App Store.

Additional cloud services exclusive to Autodesk Subscription customers give designers, engineers and digital artists sophisticated new capabilities, such as high-performance 3D visual communication, simulation and collaboration that were once limited to organizations with privileged access to expensive, high-end supercomputing centers.

These exclusive services include:

Autodesk Cloud rendering ― Customers with an Autodesk Subscription to the Premium or Ultimate editions of Autodesk Design Suite or Autodesk Building Design Suite will have access to powerful rendering capabilities, helping them better visualize designs, increase the number of renderings they can create and reduce hardware investments.

Autodesk Inventor optimization ― Customers with Subscription to the Premium or Ultimate editions of Autodesk Product Design Suites will gain an intuitive cloud-based simulation tool, enabling them to test multiple design options in the cloud, and to create more sustainable designs and higher-quality products while reducing material, transportation and energy costs.

Autodesk Revit Conceptual Energy Analysis ― Customers with Subscription to Autodesk Revit Architecture or Autodesk Revit MEP software, or select suites containing these products, can extend design beyond the desktop with powerful cloud-based energy analysis capabilities, helping them to quickly gain insight into the energy consumption and building energy costs of early design concepts from within the design application.

Autodesk Green Building Studioweb-based energy analysissoftware ― Customers with Subscription to Autodesk Building Design Suite and other select products have access to this cloud-based service that can help designers, architects, engineers and building energy analysts perform faster, more accurate energy analysis of multiple building design iterations, optimize energy efficiency and work toward carbon neutrality earlier in the design process.

Autodesk Buzzsawsoftware as a service (SaaS) ― Customers with Subscription to Autodesk Vault Collaboration AEC software now have access to cloud-based document, data and design management solutions for architecture, engineering and construction firms and owner-operators, helping them centralize and securely exchange project information and enhance team collaboration.

Autodesk works with multiple partners, including Amazon and Citrix, to provide a scalable cloud computing infrastructure to meet customer needs. Autodesk has been working with Amazon Web Services for more than three years in order to securely host high-demand, scalable applications such as Autodesk Homestyler software and Autodesk Seek web service. Amazon Web Services provides Autodesk with the flexibility to scale computing around the world with Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and resilient storage capacity with Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and Elastic Block Store (EBS), as well as the ability to more efficiently deliver applications and content to customers. Autodesk also teams with Citrix to provide customers with greater efficiency in their use of Autodesk applications. Delivering solutions to end users with Citrix XenApp can help customers reduce workstation costs while still providing the software performance they need.

“Our relationship with Autodesk demonstrates how innovative and forward-thinking software companies can leverage the power of AWS to provide greater value to their customers,” said Terry Wise, Director of Business Development at Amazon Web Services. “We are pleased to work with Autodesk to provide secure, on-demand, pay as you go cloud services, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the design and engineering market.”

In addition to the new Autodesk Cloud services, Autodesk Subscription continues to provide the most up-to-date software, online technical support and flexible licensing privileges for customers looking to maximize their competitive advantage.

Availability

Autodesk Cloud services are available worldwide starting today in English, and will be available soon in other languages including Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Traditional Chinese. Some Autodesk Cloud services are available to all customers, such as Autodesk Cloud documents and the Autodesk Design Review mobile app, while other services are exclusive to Autodesk Subscription customers. All customers should contact their local reseller or visit www.autodesk.com/cloud to learn more.

Running the JOIN command on two connected walls may cause unexpected behavior in AutoCAD Architecture.

When you offset a wall using another wall with the same direction as the reference, the offset wall may be created in the opposite direction.

The Below Cut Plan display component of doors or window may not display.

The Service Pack brings back the Array dialog functionality by introducing a new ARRAYCLASSIC command. It also introduces the option to restore legacy Snap behavior by controlling it through the new SNAPGRIDLEGACY system variable: ARRAYCLASSICCreates copies of objects in a regularly spaced rectangular or polar array. SNAPGRIDLEGACY1 – Always snap the cursor to the grid 0 – Only snap the cursor to the grid when AutoCAD prompts to specify a point

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Kate also says: The AutoCAD LT team would like to talk to people who are interested in or have thoughts on web-hosted CAD programs, where you run the program over the internet instead of on your desktop. If interested visit Need some more opinions and email her.

If you ever get this error below the solution might be to re-apply the Windows 7 Service Pack 1. Unable to run AutoCAD. This may be due to one of the following reasons: 1) This version of AutoCAD was not installed properly. 2) You do not have sufficient rights to run AutoCAD.

Up and Ready has this tip. When extracting the installers for Autodesk products, keep the destination folder name as the default. i.e. C:\Autodesk. If not the paths might be too long and you get the error: Some files could not be created. Please close all applications, reboot Windows and restart this installation.

Also found on Up and Ready. Do not stop or disable the LanmanServer service. If you do AutoCAD 2012 will lockup or freeze and it will probably affect other programs as well.

The Server service supports file, print, and named-pipe sharing over the network for this computer. If this service is stopped, these functions will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.

Windows system requirements for the Autodesk Network License Manager for Autodesk’s 2012 products. You want to know the current system requirements for the Autodesk Network License Manager on the Windows platform. See TS17796070

Monday, September 12, 2011

AutoCAD 2013 might or might not include news and/or improvements in these areas:

Web & Mobile - This sneak peek highlights features for people who work on AutoCAD from multiple computers or different locations -- such as using different workstations, or switching between the office, home, or working out in the field. CAD Managers and day-to-day AutoCAD users of all levels are welcome to attend.

Model Documentation - This sneak peek is geared toward people in the Mechanical/Manufacturing industry who use AutoCAD, AutoCAD Mechanical, or/and Inventor, and who create and annotate model views (such as section, detail, and projected views) of 3D models (mechanical parts, components).

The AutoCAD User Experience Team is hosting its annual AutoCAD Sneak Peek events in late September and early October.

The Service Pack brings back the Array dialog functionality by introducing a new ARRAYCLASSIC command. It also introduces the option to restore legacy Snap behavior by controlling it through the new SNAPGRIDLEGACY system variable:

ARRAYCLASSICCreates copies of objects in a regularly spaced rectangular or polar array.

SNAPGRIDLEGACY1 – Always snap the cursor to the grid 0 – Only snap the cursor to the grid when AutoCAD prompts to specify a point

The following defects have been fixed:

3D Navigation Tools

3DConnexion settings are not being remembered after changes are made.

3Dconnexion device will not cancel the current command.

3D Surface Modeling

With dynamic input off dragging the height handle of an extruded line will not always stretch by the value and direction of the drag.

AutoCAD may become unstable when rebuilding a helix to a spline where the selection was not dropped.

Annotation Scaling

AutoCAD may become unstable while attempting to load a DCL file with errors from a long file name.

Tooltip does not appear when Additional tool tip string is set in “AcEdInputPointMonitor::monitorInput”.

API fix: This fix will respect the custom color, line pattern and line weight when selecting the entities including external reference.

Autoloader

Autoloader fails when SeriesMax parameter set to linked.

Autoloader loads partial CUI but may not display it when the bundle is removed and reinstalled.

When platform="AutoCAD*", bundles will be load on ACAD and Vertical.

Using Autoloader to add custom CUI files that contain WPF Custom Controls will not work as it needs a registry entry.

Blocks

AutoCAD may become unstable while snapping to blocks containing OLE objects.

Monday, September 5, 2011

How circles and holes can make a difference with more than half the amount of steel compared to traditional rebars.

Cellreinforcement from the Swedish company Cellfab is a according to their website a new, unique reinforcement that can be used within a range of different application areas such as, concrete, asphalt and other materials.

The geometric patent applied designed structure of Cellreinforcement creates unique technical advantages compared to the reinforcement that is applied today.

Thanks to its three-dimensional structure the Cellreinforcement can absorb the pressure from surrounding areas. The compact formation of Cellreinforcement increases the thermodynamic features in the concrete. The tough construction spread the fractions equally on the surface of the concrete.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Users of Plant Design Suite Ultimate 2012 will have access to the combination of Autodesk Inventor 2012 software for plant equipment and skid design, and Autodesk Revit Structure 2012 software for structural design and detailing for the first time. The company also announced the 2012 versions of AutoCAD P&ID and AutoCAD Plant 3D.

A few of the larger new things in AutoCAD Plant 3D 2012 and AutoCAD P&ID 2012:

This is good news if you would like to learn to program in .NET for AutoCAD.

Starting next week – and for 8 weeks – Wayne Brill, from DevTech Americas, will be delivering free online AutoCAD .NET training live so Wayne will be able to interact with the audience and answer any questions you might have.

To register – yes, for free – go to our API Training page and select “Schedule”, then scroll down to “AutoCAD .NET”, “English”, “Webcast”, “Sep 08 2011” and click “Register” at the far right of the item.

Description

Want to get under the hood of the .NET API for AutoCAD®? If you wish to customize AutoCAD or develop applications on top of it—without having to learn C++ programming first—then this class is for you.

Audience

This course is designed for developers, distributors, resellers, and experienced users of AutoCAD software who would like to develop applications using the AutoCAD .NET API.

Prerequisites

Prior experience customizing AutoCAD is not required, but familiarity with the Visual Basic .NET or C# programming languages is expected. A basic understanding of the "end-user" functionality of AutoCAD is required.

Objectives

This class provides a detailed outline of the features associated with the AutoCAD .NET API. In addition to technical overviews presented by Autodesk experts, this course offers sample Visual Basic .NET/C# code and hands-on labs, as well as examples to get you started.

After attending this course, you will be able to

Understand the concepts and functions of the AutoCAD .NET API.

Understand the scope of the .NET API, and its relationship to the other AutoCAD APIs

Thursday, September 1, 2011

When adding a link on Google+ (My Google+ profile) I found that the description was not from the actual blog post but from some text I have in a column to the left of my blog. At least it is possible to remove the description within Google+.

It’s right now not possible when the +1 button is used, hopefully it will be eventually.

As I have a Google Blogger Blogspot blog I tried to find a better solution for this.

On the API page for the +1 button I found a bit of information using Schema.org microdata, Open Graph protocol or Meta "title" and "description" tags.

I edited the blog template after taking a backup of it.

<body itemscope itemtype='http://schema.org/Blog'>

I got this error editing the template: Attribute name "itemscope" associated with an element type "body" must be followed by the ' = ' character.

So I changed it to: <body itemscope='' itemtype='http://schema.org/Blog'>

<h3 class='post-title' itemprop='name'>

<p itemprop='description'><data:post.body/></p>

Adding itemprop='description' to <p> did not work so I instead added it to

<div class='post-body' itemprop='description'>

What finally worked for me was:

<body itemscope='' itemtype='http://schema.org/Blog'>

<h3 class='post-title' itemprop='name'>

<div class='post-body' itemprop='description'>

Now trying to share a link the description is taken from the blog post instead.

Now if there is a lot of text the meta description will be quite large but from what I understand Google and other search engines just takes the first 250 or so characters anyway. If you use snippets on the blog this might be a way: <meta expr:content='data:post.snippet' name='description'/>

But if you know of a way to trim 'data:post.body' let me know.

Update: I found that the description using 'data:post.body' for this blog post did not work. Probably because of the code snippets used in the post. It also messed up the actual blog post as seen on the blog so I had to remove that.